In the Season 4 premiere of Invincible, fans not privy to the comics finally saw not only the origin of Mark Grayson's father, Nolan, but also what caused the decimation of the Viltrumite race, leaving fewer than 50 of their kind left. In Nolan's recollection to Allen of what happened, he explained that a deadly virus called the Scourge virus caused it.
Shortly after Nolan passed his day of adulthood, nearly being beaten to death by his unnamed parents, his father sent him to get his first assignment. However, before Nolan could get one, everyone around him began to bleed from the eyes, nose, and mouth before dropping dead or fighting for their lives.
Nolan would help with quarantining the virus and caring for those still struggling to survive its deadly symptoms, but soon, he too fell victim to the scourge. Clinging to life on a stretcher alongside thousands of others, Nolan eventually walked away alongside Conquest as one of the few survivors of the virus.
Who Created the Scourge Virus in the Invincible TV Show?
What remained of the Viltrumites who survived its devastating effects never learned who attacked them with such a cowardly weapon. But that changed after Nolan met Thaedus, the leader of the Coalition of Planets, and finally learned the truth.
Not only did Thaedus reveal himself as the Betrayer who killed Emperor Argall, but he also revealed that it was he who created the Scourge virus. However, it wasn't until Nolan told him of their people's near extinction that he learned just how effective the virus was, which pained him deeply, calling it "[his] greatest sin."
As for why he created the virus, after he had assassinated Argall, he believed that "without his cruel leadership," Viltrum and its people would change, but "when it only made [their] hate stronger," he created the Scourge virus to wipe them and their cruelty from the universe.
Thaedus also showed Nolan an improved strain of the virus, which, according to him, "If released, not a single Viltrumite would survive its wrath this time." Understandably angry, Nolan made Thaedus promise to use it only as a last resort.
How Exactly Nolan Survived the Scourge Virus, According to Invincible Comics
Warning - The rest of this article includes major spoilers for the Invincible comics and potential future events in the Invincible animated series.
Despite Nolan being one of the strongest Viltrumites left, it's still a miracle he survived the Scourge virus at all. But what if it was more than just a miracle? What if there was something else that tipped the scales in his favor of survival?
In a recent interview with Variety, co-creator Robert Kirkman revealed that "It's possible that there are more elements to [Nolan] that will be revealed as time goes on," to explain how he survived the Scourge virus:
"It’s possible it may come up in the future. It’s certainly unknown for now. Viruses work in different ways; some people survive and some people don’t. It’s possible that there are more elements to that character that will be revealed as time goes on."
Kirkman is no doubt referring to the fact that Nolan, and by extension his sons, are descendants of Argill, making them rightful heirs to the Viltrum throne currently filled by Thragg. It was when Mark Grayson was accidentally afflicted with the newest strain of the Scourge virus that Thragg learned the truth of his family history.
Thragg even explicitly said to an unconscious Mark that he would survive the virus because "failing to do so would betray your bloodline." It would also explain how both Nolan and Mark survived the Scourge virus, despite being far younger than the rest of the Viltrumites who endured its devastating effects.
